Writing for Anglophone Clients and Markets in the Land of Far, Far Away

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Markets for Personal Essays

....and I'm back! My second child, Pup, was born goregeous and healthy less than a week after that last post. And the number of items I'm juggling immediately went from, say, 5 to 15. I don't know why one extra child would put so many more balls in the air, but it truly does. It's crazy! But getting easier and more fun everyday. Well, some days.

Part of the reason that I feel so knackered is that I have continued to write. My husband is annoyed with me for not taking a maternity leave, but frankly, it's a relief to have something else to do besides change diapers and get dissed by my toddler. I have researched, written and sent out several excellent queries (if I may say so myself), drafted dozens of articles for DS, whipped up a few articles for Venere.com, restarted work on my non-fiction book, and made a "clips site" which showcases samples of my work. I also tried to form another writer's group, this time seeking only one person to be my "writing buddy." But that fell apart after only two months - she was a mom of five working a full-time job. Guess there's no need to say more.

These days, as ever, the thing I find the most difficult about expat freelancing is finding publications for which I'd like to write. That's why, for the time being, I have turned my attention to writing essays. Essays are great for the expat because tons of online pubs seek them, which means you don't need to find samples in a bookstore. I also like them because they don't involve research, you don't need an expert to back up your opinion, and you can write in your own voice. A nice break from magazine writing! (Well, in my case, magazine querying).

Right now, I'm working on a couple of essays that I hope will be accepted in the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. Here are several more pubs that accept essays - click the links for submission deadlines and writers guidelines. If you know of any other good ones, feel free to share!